German B1.8 Listening Practice: Embed A Yes Or No Question With Ob
German B1 listening practice with audio, transcript, key phrases, and a speaking challenge for embed a yes or no question with ob.
Podcast listening is in beta while creation and discussion tools are refined. This published chapter includes its complete segmented audio and transcript.
Level
B1.8
Audio
Segmented audio
Transcript
13 segments
What to notice while you listen
What you'll understand
In a familiar context, state uncertainty about a yes-or-no question.
Transform a familiar direct yes-no question into an ob-clause complement and place its finite verb at the end.
New pattern
ob plus a verb-final indirect yes-no question complement
Practice aloud after listening
Weißt du, ob der Kurs morgen beginnt?
Do you know whether the course begins tomorrow?
A short German listening chapter with transcript.
When the missing answer is simply yes or no, introduce the embedded question with ob and hold its finite verb until the end.
Read while you listen.
1. Hanna · Teacher
Welcome back! Today, we are learning how to embed a simple yes-or-no question using the word 'ob'. Let me hand it over to Felix and Clara for a quick conversation.
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2. Felix · Native Speaker 1
Sag mal Clara, weißt du, ob der Kurs morgen beginnt?
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3. Clara · Native Speaker 2
Ich weiß nicht, ob der Kurs morgen beginnt, aber ich kann nachfragen.
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4. Felix · Native Speaker 1
Danke, ich muss nämlich wissen, ob die Kurse diese Woche stattfinden.
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5. Clara · Native Speaker 2
Kein Problem, ich frage auch, ob der Raum schon feststeht.
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6. Felix · Native Speaker 1
Super, sag mir Bescheid, sobald du etwas weißt!
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7. Hanna · Teacher
Let's break down what we just heard! First, Felix asked: 'Weißt du, ob der Kurs morgen beginnt?'. The direct question would be 'Beginnt der Kurs morgen?'. But when we embed it after 'Weißt du, ob', the conjugated verb 'beginnt' moves to the very end.
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8. Lukas · Student
So 'ob' works like 'if' or 'whether' in English, and it always sends the verb to the end of the sentence?
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9. Hanna · Teacher
Spot on, Lukas! 'Ob' introduces an indirect yes-or-no question, which is a subordinate clause, so the finite verb always goes to the final position.
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10. Hanna · Teacher
Next, Clara answered: 'Ich weiß nicht, ob der Kurs morgen beginnt.' Here, the verb 'wissen' takes the 'ob'-clause as its complement to express that she doesn't know whether something is true.
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11. Lukas · Student
What changes when Felix talks about plural courses using 'die Kurse' instead of 'der Kurs'?
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12. Hanna · Teacher
Only the noun and the verb agreement change! Felix said: 'ob die Kurse diese Woche stattfinden.' Singular is 'der Kurs' and plural is 'die Kurse', but the word order with 'ob' and the verb at the end stays exactly the same.
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13. Hanna · Teacher
Great job listening today! Practice embedding your yes-or-no questions with 'ob' whenever you want to express uncertainty or ask politely.
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